Select Group of Nationwide Leaders Named by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation

ABINGTON, PA (June 2, 2016) – Abington Hospital and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH) were two of a select group of healthcare facilities nationwide to be recognized in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index 2016.

In total, 496 healthcare facilities nationwide were named as Leaders in LGBT Healthcare Equality. These facilities met all four criteria – patient and employee non-discrimination policies that specifically mention sexual orientation and gender identity, a guarantee of equal visitation for same-sex partners and parents, employment non-discrimination, and LGBT health education for key staff members. This is the second time TJUH was recognized.

“We’re honored to be viewed as a leading care provider to the LGBT community,” said Joseph Hill, senior vice president and chief diversity officer for Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health.

Sabrina Harris, JD, MBA, director of Diversity and Inclusion at Jefferson, confirms that “this designation acknowledges that TJUH and Abington Hospital are inclusive environments where ALL patients are treated with dignity and respect.”

HRC Foundation is the educational arm of the country’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization. The Healthcare Equality Index, conducted by HRC Foundation, is a unique annual survey that encourages equal care for LGBT Americans and recognizes healthcare institutions doing the best work.

About Jefferson Health

Jefferson Health comprises five hospitals, 17 outpatient and urgent care locations, as well as physician practices and everywhere we deliver care throughout the city and suburbs across Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks Counties in Pa., and Camden County in New Jersey. Together, these facilities serve nearly 73,000 inpatients, 239,000 emergency patients and 1.7 million outpatient visits annually. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the largest freestanding academic medical center in Philadelphia. Abington Hospital is the largest community teaching hospital in Montgomery or Bucks counties. Other hospitals include Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Center City Philadelphia; Methodist Hospital in South Philadelphia; and Abington-Lansdale Hospital in Hatfield Township.

For more information and a complete listing of Jefferson services and locations, visit www.jefferson.edu.